Long Term Urban Watershed Studies in the Baltimore Ecosystem Study
Abstract
The watershed approach, which allows for the quantification of inputs and outputs of water and nutrients in hydrologically defined basins, has been central to ecosystem ecology, and is an important component of many sites in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) network. The approach has been particularly useful for analysis of the effects of disturbances (e.g., clear cutting of forests). It has also been useful for long-term analysis of responses to more subtle aspects of environmental change (e.g., hydroclimate variability, atmospheric deposition). In the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES), we have used the watershed approach as a basis for comparison of urban ecosystems with the less human-dominated ecosystems that have been more traditionally studied by ecologists and as a platform for iterative cycles of question generation, hypothesis testing and model development. Long-term monitoring of forested reference, agricultural reference and a range of urban and suburban ecosystems, and analysis of watershed input-output budgets and trends have provided fundamental data on urban hydrology, nitrogen, phosphorus, chloride, pathogens and contaminants such as metals and pharmaceutical compounds. Numerous studies have been generated on the specific processes and feedbacks that influence these parameters. These studies have increased our fundamental understanding of the structure and function of urban ecosystems, how they compare with other ecosystem types, and identification of key factors influencing ecosystem functions/services and the fate and transport of pollutants. Long-term interactions between watershed-based monitoring, experiments, modeling and comparative studies have the potential to significantly improve our understanding of both urban and non-urban ecosystems.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMPA11C0976G
- Keywords:
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- 0439 Ecosystems;
- structure and dynamics;
- BIOGEOSCIENCES;
- 1848 Monitoring networks;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 6329 Project evaluation;
- POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES;
- 6610 Funding;
- PUBLIC ISSUES